


Lazy Mornings and Tired Afternoons

by JhinnyJaxy (ZoicZeph)



Series: A Drunk Idiot or a Sober Psychopath: Which is Worse? [3]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Awkward Silences, Canon Divergence, Canon Divergent, Domestic, Fluff, Jax is kinda shy, Jhin has no idea how do expression, M/M, Mild Language, Romance, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepiness, Slice of Life, Tickle Fights, Uncomfortable Staring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-23 14:19:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14334303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoicZeph/pseuds/JhinnyJaxy
Summary: There are times where their schedules just won't align, as if the world just wants to keep them apart. But they make it work anyways... even if they spend their time together poking fun at each other endlessly.





	Lazy Mornings and Tired Afternoons

The Grandmaster closed his eyes, ready for a good, long nap now that he was finally home. His Piltover home, at that. Small and cosy, with a small wood stove that actually kept the main room warm. Several of them were strewn about the house, despite its small size, but only two or three had to be on to warm up the place to a cozy degree. It was nothing like Jhin's houses, which were wide and spacious, with high ceilings and open floor plans and little furniture (well.. little of what Jax would call 'furniture'). Jax's house had shorter ceilings, small rooms, and so many things it was leaving the realm of 'cozy' and bordering on 'crowded'. But the light-colored walls of red and yellow and brown lent just enough relief that you could ignore the tattered, faded Shuriman rugs with a few to many details, or the dinged up and faded coffee table that smelled like a big, wooden boat docked in the harbour. It failed to remedy the man's poor taste in tabletop decor, though.

  
Several terribly-sewn doilies of various sizes were on nearly every surface, sometimes having two or three of them stacked crossways on top of eachother. On top of some, there were tacky flower pots full to the brim with basically anything but fresh-cut flowers. One had origami flowers (of varying quality), but the rest of them were filled with multi-colored marbles, long-since-used handheld fans, various kinds of fancy silverware, tubes of strange liquids... well, what was once liquid.. at some point..... hopefully. Discarded dishware sat on the tabletops, the exact time they were put down entirely lost to memory.

  
It looked much like a collector's home. Cluttered, but not too cluttered. There was just enough space to go about day to day life, but sometimes you'd bump into something, step on a misplaced pair of shoes, or stumble over a dropped jacket.

  
Jhin found himself in the latter situation as he shuffled his way over to another seat just across the coffee table from Jax, bumping his shin into the edge of it for what would be the first of many times during his stay. He hissed from between his teeth, lifting the cup of tea to his lips and taking a gulp of it. He tried to make himself comfortable as possible as he sat down, only really achieving so by throwing one leg over the edge of the coffee table and half-way tucking the other one in the space between the table edge and his seat. It left him in quite an unflattering and, frankly, _revealing_ position, but he showed no shame. He ran his fingers through his hair to attempt at trying to tame the mess it had become.

  
"You have a horrible set of bed sheets," he noted, not even looking up from his tea.

  
"Good morning to you too, hunny."

  
They had a quick exchange of smirks, Jax sitting up in his seat.

  
"I'll have to give you a - oh, what is it? - a 'cash course' in color theory. You are god-awful at matching colors."

  
"They're comfy though, right?"

  
"Oh yes, your bed is positively _delightful_ to sleep on. Quite possibly the best night of sleep without you by my side I've had in a long while. It's especially impressive when considering you don't even have a proper bed frame."

  
"Shit just makes stupid noises all the time, who needs 'em?"

  
"Ja," Jhin cheered half-heartedly into his cup as he took another sip. "Thank you for making tea, by the way."

  
"No problem."

  
A comfortable silence drifted between them. Soft, relaxed faces were warmed by the spring sun that spilled through the open window, the sound of the unkept bushes outside rustling in the late-morning breeze. It was a clear morning, nothing seemed to pollute the air despite the house being just eastward of the bumbling double city-state of Piltover and Zaun. But, to be fair, it was a considerable distance away. Not too far, but there was a good two to three hours worth of a wagon ride between this neighborhood and the main city.

  
Jax laid back in his chair and closed his eyes once more. Sleep began to take over, washing the residual aches and pains away as everything relaxed and gave in. It was so comfortable, so simple. And he felt all the more calmed with the knowledge that Jhin was there (which, all things considered, was a miraculous statement in and of itself).

  
"Dear, before you sleep.." Jhin cooed, just above a whisper.

  
"Mmm?" Jax was only half-listening.

  
"Would you mind it at all if I clipped your hedges later today? The small ones out front?"

  
The fighter furrowed his brow, a hazy memory of the hedges in question coming to mind, with the greatest of his efforts. His tanked energy levels were finally getting to him, "Why?"

  
"They're a little messy, I just want to tidy them up a bit. Might as well be useful while I'm here, and that seems like a good enough place to start, don't you think?"

  
Jax didn't respond for a few minutes, drifting in and out of sleep as he battled between his exhaustion, and the cold splash of realization he was still ankle-deep in a conversion. It got to the point he forgot what it was he was even talking about. Something about salads? Green things? Plants? Cucumbers? Could he even grow cucumbers here? Maybe he should grow cucumbers. He's never really had cucumbers, but they sound tasty. Or maybe he was thinking of kale... wonder what kale tastes like.

  
His thought process was interrupted by a soft kiss being pressed against his cheek. A hand settled on his thigh as he forced his eyes open, finding Jhin leaned over next to him.

  
"I'll take that as a yes," the man mumbled, the faint tremor in his voice sending chills down Jax's spine. He brushed his hand across Jax's cheek and tucked a bit of hair behind the Laidian's ear, "Sleep well, Obi."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jax awoke some time later, to the sound of the neighborhood church bells rolling through the streets and past the houses like thunder. He'd always liked those bells, they sounded unique. Everywhere else the bells sounded tinny and meaningless. Like there was no effort put into it. It would grow tinnier and thinner the father away you got from them, until they stopped dead a few streets away. Here, the sound was wooden and whole, rattled the bones if you walked close enough, shook windows in their frames father off. It gave the kind of deep, glorious sound you'd hear from Obji* as he passed; the twinkling of wind chimes mimicking the lesser spirits as they trailed behind him. Those bells were why he moved here, specifically, after leaving Ionia.

  
The bells rang five times, then stopped, leaving nothing but silence behind.

  
The fighter struggled to keep himself from holding his breath. He almost felt misplaced in the silence. It humbled him, somewhat, as the feeling of embarrassment over making the smallest noise creeped on him. He sat up with a grunt. A snarl spread across his face, Jax involuntarily baring his sharp teeth as a brief, thrumming pain in his shoulder caused him to freeze. Damn wound acting up again. He swore quietly and took several deep breaths as he waited for the pain to dull, as it always did.

  
Soft chimes rung out on the front porch, accompanied by the creaking wood underneath footsteps. The door opened and Jhin walked through. He wiped his forehead with the back of his forearm, trying his best not to touch his face with the dirty gloves on his hand. Pink flushed his cheeks and nose, blending rather nicely with his tan skin and dark hair. His movements were slow, untheatrical, and deliberate. A certain brand of tiredness weighed on his features, his eyes half-lidded and mouth slightly slack as he tried to catch his breath. It must have been a hot day out there. Jax didn't feel it, he was one of the fortunate who had air conditioning. That, and it's not often he felt much of anything while unconscious and asleep. Jhin had though, and must've spent a good while out there.

  
The man looked briefly over to Jax, concern flickering across his face. Jax, meanwhile, fought to keep himself composed in his haze of intoxicating awe. To be duly noted, such battles weren't as often won as his other ones.

  
"Hey," Jax grunted out, pulling at the leg of his pants and shifting in place.

  
Jhin took his sweet time responding, face switching between the visually-similar-but-functionally-different expressions of 'mildly annoyed' and 'perversely curious'. Jax tried to hold out, but eventually gave in to his need to fidget and whimper in embarrassment at the other's unrelenting stare. He hated silences in conversation. Especially ones where they kept staring at you. It made him feel uncomfortable, and ashamed, like he did something wrong and bad and he had become a horrible person because of it. It was irrational, but he felt it anyway. It didn't really help that Jhin's expression when he stared at nearly anything was perhaps the single most terrifying (and attractive) thing about him. Nevermind his towering height, or his spider-like features; those never really phased Jax. He'd seen more terrifying things before. But that stare was something else: cold-colored eyes fixed on one thing, the subtle changes in his expression as his eyebrows and nose and lips twitched and shifted about, confusedly, as if they didn't know what do to. Like the pace of their carefully memorized and rehearsed script had been interrupted, and they hadn't yet learned how to improvise.

  
"Good evening, hugaboo," Jhin greeted with a single nod, turning into the kitchen. "How was your nap?"

  
"It was okay," Jax said.

  
"'Okay'? Just 'okay'?"

  
"I wish it was longer."

  
"Mhm?"

  
"Like, twelve hours longer."

  
There were a few thumps of closing cupboards, "Twelve hours?"

  
"I'm still kinda tired... an' my shoulder hurts."

  
"Sleeping in a ratty arm chair will do that to you."

  
Jax pursed his lips and glared playfully at the entrance to the kitchen, knowing full well he couldn't be seen, "I think they're kinda comfortable."

  
Jhin walked out holding a big glass of water, gloves tucked underneath his elbow, where he had at some point rolled up his sleeves. It was a cute look on him.

  
"To be frank, dear-"

  
"But'chyer Ren."

  
That got him a scathing look, "- your definition of 'comfortable' is not one a man of your stature, age, and experience should have. It's one more commonly found in the younger types, who's bodies are more forgiving and wallets not as deep."

  
"Uhhm..." Jax clicked his tongue. "I'll give you that first part, but the last bit? Not so much."

  
"Whatever does that mean?"

  
"I'm as poor as dirt, darlin', in case you haven't noticed," the fighter made a motion towards the old jackets that littered the entryway, each one filled with countless holes and a handful that were lucky enough to have their holes sewn up with mismatched thread. A moment went by as he pondered just how long it'd been since he last bought a new jacket (or when he last did his laundry... oops).

  
"You _were_. But that's hardly the case nowadays."

  
".. huh? How?"

  
"You can figure it out."

  
"Wuh?"

  
"Come on, use that brain of yours," a grin graced Jhin's lips for a brief moment as he lifted the glass of water to drink. "I'm sure it's in there somewhere."

  
Jax half wanted to say 'ouch'. Instead, he sat still and contemplated two things; why he'd chosen to deal with all this in the first place, and why he felt so many mixed feelings about that look Jhin was giving him. It was like the man's eyes were smiling. Cunningly. Like some cat getting its sick amusement from knocking fragile things off shelves and tables. Somebody waiting for their unsuspecting victim to realize how stupid he was as they somehow drank water from a bright pink sippy cup with faded daisy decals evilly.

  
"Oh," Jax's face brightened, giving a grin and a wink. "Rich on love?"

  
"Ew," Jhin scrunched up his nose, his whole body cringing at those words. "No, that's _disgustingly_ sappy. I meant that _I_ am rich, and therefore, by extension, _you_ are too."

  
Silence again. There was a certain look on Jax's face that screamed 'guilty'. He knew he was pampered, one just had to glance at his plump cheeks, chubby arms, and round belly to tell that. Jhin took every opportunity to shower the Grandmaster with gifts of any type. Food, clothing, blankets, sugar, and (rarely) alcohol. Knowing full well that he was so pampered was embarrassing to say the least, but he just couldn't help enjoying it. It felt nice having someone treat you so... nicely, without asking for much in return. It was long overdue for the Grandmaster, and he very well deserved it, but that wouldn't stop him from feeling guilty about it. He felt the need to repay Jhin _somehow_ , but he could never figure out how.

  
"Your shoulder."

  
"Hurts."

  
"I know that," Jhin puffed. "I was meaning to go on to ask if you'd like anything for it? Surely you have something to ease your pain."

  
"Yeah, patience."

  
"That was not the kind of remedy I was thinking of.."

  
Jax tapped his chin, then grinned: "Kisses?"

  
"On your _shoulder_? Good heavens, how scandalous," the man looked shocked.

  
"No. On the cheek, doofus. Don't get so excited."

  
"I wasn't-" Jhin sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew a trap when he saw one, and didn't feel like falling into it this time. "Fine."

  
The Grandmaster beamed, eyes glowing with anticipation. Always eager for this type of thing, it was like he thought affection to be some rare gem. A one-in-a-million happening. When, in fact, it was nearly every day the two of them spent together. Unmitigated shows of affection were handed out like hotcakes, and laid around in piles that looked like they were going to fall over because they were so tall. It was no less sweet, but it was common between them. Jhin simply went over to him, carefully. He hit his knee on the corner of the table, yet again, as he moved to crouch down. Jax's smile dropped at the sound, only to be trapped in a kiss. A quick one. Followed by several more kisses.

  
Jax giggled. Jhin placed his water down and leaned closer, peppering kisses on the Laidian's cheeks and neck. They both began to laugh, taking turns nuzzling and pecking each others cheeks. Tickling soon began, with the Virtuoso helplessly caught in Jax's firm hug, unable to escape the tickling of his sides. He fought hard, but unfortunately Tickle Fights were one of the kinds of fights the Grandmaster was undefeated in. An indeterminate amount of time passed as the two tickled one another and tried to avoid buckling over from laughter and tears, until they were forced to stop and catch their breath.

  
"See what I mean?" Jax eventually said, still holding the other man close.

  
Jhin hummed in response, reaching up to play with a stray strand of the fighter's gray-blue hair.

  
"As they say; laughter is the best medicine."

  
There was a pause. Jhin stopped twirling the strand of hair in his fingers.

  
"Get out," he deadpanned.

  
"Wha- this is  _my_ house, asshole!"

**Author's Note:**

> *In the Laidian religion, 'Obji' is the designation they have for the caretaker spirit of the cosmos. Obji is a fusion of the two Laidian words 'ob' - which means 'to care (for)' - and 'ji' - which means 'to take' or 'to kill'. We know Obji as 'Bard'.


End file.
